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More UC Davis School of Medicine graduates chose psychiatry residencies than any other U.S. medical school

(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) —

A greater percentage of students graduating from the UC Davis School of Medicine chose residencies in psychiatry than graduates of any other medical school in the United States, data from the American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC) shows.

Averaged over the seven years from 2004 through 2010, UC Davis is number one among 127 medical schools in the U.S. in the recruitment of its graduates into psychiatry residencies throughout the country, at nearly 11 percent, the data shows. The average for U.S. medical students selecting a psychiatry residency is 4.5 percent.

The analysis was conducted by the Association of Directors of Medical Student Education in Psychiatry (ADMSEP), said Martin Leamon, clinical professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and a member of ADMSEP's Executive Committee.

"Given that some projections have found that there are too few psychiatrists available to meet current and future patient demand, it is essential that departments of psychiatry encourage graduates to choose a career in psychiatry," Leamon said.

Leamon said that the percentage of students selecting psychiatry residencies is a reflection of the quality of education in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and the educational standing of the department in the school.

During the period when the data was collected, psychiatry Professor Donald Hilty was president of the Association for Academic Psychiatry; psychiatry Professor Mark Servis was president of the American Association of Directors of Psychiatric Residency Training.

"UC Davis had more of its faculty in leadership roles in national psychiatric education organizations than any other medical school during this period," said Robert Hales, chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. "It paid off."